Rain forced the abandonment of the third One Day International (ODI) between India and New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Tuesday, leaving India with a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
The two teams will now travel to Tauranga for the final two matches, scheduled to be played on November 13 and 15.
India captain Shubman Gill won the toss for the third consecutive time and elected to bowl, retaining the same playing XI from the previous two matches. However, rain returned just as the ground staff were removing the covers for a 40-overs-a-side contest.
With at least 70 minutes remaining before the local cut-off time of 7:50 pm for a 20-overs-a-side match, the umpires decided to abandon the game. The weather forecast had remained unfavourable throughout the day, with a 90 per cent chance of rain predicted.
The abandoned match was scheduled to be the final ODI appearance in the series for Gill and senior wicketkeeper KL Rahul before they join India’s Test squad in Wellington. Kuldeep Yadav, Anshul Kamboj and Mohammed Siraj will also join the Test squad.
In Gill’s absence, Shreyas Iyer will captain India in the remaining two matches. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan are also expected to earn places in the playing XI.
